I was curious about Former FBI Director James Comey’s novel (Central Park West), and when I saw the blurb describing it as “…a masterful blend of legal thriller, police procedural and psychological drama,” I was intrigued because those are among my very favorite genres for escapist fiction. 

A couple of things Comey knows VERY well are mobsters and politics. In this novel, the former governor, who had to resign in disgrace, is murdered. An extremely powerful mob boss has decided to tell the Feds everything, and claims this former governor was assassinated by the mob.  The mob boss sends a note to the Feds offering to tell them EVERYTHING. 

Federal prosecutor Nora Carleton is thrown into a high-stakes investigation of conspiracy, corruption, and danger. Comey’s own experience as a mob prosecutor, then the chief federal prosecutor, make him well qualified to tell the story. The book has fascinating characters (some of which I am sure are thinly disguised people from Comey’s own career), a fast-paced plot including lots of juicy tales of corruption, and terrific legal storytelling.There are also a couple of unexpected twists, and an ending I didn’t see coming (not unusual for me). I liked this book A LOT. Four stars, almost five – and I look forward to Mr. Comey’s next novel. Many thanks to Penzler Publishers/Mysterious Press and NetGalley for providing a copy in exchange for this honest review.